After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The old man's voice was calm and steady. He flicked the letter of recommendation from Scholar Liu with his fingers, and the envelope made a clicking sound.

Chu the Fatty's eyes widened in shock, his chubby face trembled violently, and his mouth gaped open: "Huh??????"

...

...

Taiping Private School is located in the middle of Liuye Lane. It occupies a small area, a small courtyard, which is only about one-sixth the size of Ning Mansion. After all, it is located in the capital, and the house prices are incredibly expensive. It is quite good that it is this big.

The courtyard was covered with broken bricks, with some grass growing between the bricks. Peach trees were planted on the left and a row of bamboo on the right.

On the wooden veranda of the small courtyard.

As Ning Er walked slowly, he introduced to Ning Nan that Mr. Lizhou had been stripped of his official status in his early years and was unwilling to return to his hometown. Not long after, his family ran out of food, so he went to work as a tutor in a wealthy family.

The wealthy family invited him secretly, and the tuition was actually quite high, but they dared not make it public. After all, Mr. Lizhou had not offended ordinary people, or even ordinary officials.

A few years later, the man's son passed the imperial examination, and the whole family was overjoyed.

But just as that man's son filled the vacancy and was about to go to a county to serve as a county magistrate, someone exposed that his teacher was none other than Huang Lizhou, who had submitted a memorial to the throne years ago!

This really stirred up a hornet's nest.

The wealthy family lived in constant fear, terrified that a single transfer order from their superiors would not only strip their son of his official rank but also bring them great trouble.

So they invited Mr. Lizhou out of the mansion overnight, and then borrowed or sold him, raising a large amount of money to smooth things over.

But after three months, his son was appointed as a county magistrate as usual, and his journey was uneventful.

Although others may not know whether it was related to pulling strings with that wealthy family, it at least proves one thing... that the problem can be solved.

Ning Nan suddenly realized and laughed, "If I could get one of my sons to pass the imperial examination, I would be willing to spend any amount of money... Three years as a prefect, 100,000 taels of silver. As long as I don't lose my life or my academic achievements, I can earn back any amount of money I spend."

"Indeed," Ning Er nodded, "and it was precisely because of this that after Mr. Lizhou wrote letters for people under the city gate for three months, a wealthy family finally risked inviting him to their home to be their tutor..."

Ning Er pointed to the small courtyard, "Several years later, Mr. Lizhou's reputation gradually rose, and he finally had the money to rent this courtyard and set up Taiping Private School. It wasn't until a few years ago that he finally bought this place outright, and finally had a real place to settle down in the capital."

"It's not easy." Ning Nan sighed slightly.

Chu Pangzi followed behind the two of them with his head hanging low. After rolling around and crying, Mr. Lizhou still kept him, but he could only be considered half a student. When he entered the classroom, he could only sit at the last desk, and even if he arrived earlier than his classmates, he could not compete with them for a seat.

"Of course, I won't take advantage of you; I'll only charge you half the tuition."

"I'll take ten times the price..." the fat man thought with a sigh, but dared not say it.

The servant Zhibao once said that a wealthy student had once offered to pay a certain amount of tuition to get the teacher to accept him, but the teacher immediately kicked him out and said that even if he brought a letter of recommendation in the future, he would not accept him.

The private school faced south. From Mr. Lizhou's study, walk straight along the covered walkway, then turn right to reach it.

The school was quiet at the moment, but it was packed with people, about thirty students sitting comfortably studying.

Ning Nan glanced at it and saw a portrait of Confucius displayed at the front of the school. The signature was Wu Daozi... It was probably a copy of Wu Daozi's portrait of Confucius teaching.

The painting is quite old; the scroll has turned yellowish.

A couplet hangs on both sides.

Green mountains, though unpainted, are a painting for a thousand autumns; clear waters, though without strings, are a zither for eternity.

The general idea is that the green mountains don't need ink to be painted; they are a masterpiece that will be remembered for generations.

Green water has no strings, yet it is an ancient zither that can flow for ten thousand years... Both lines praise Confucius for his eternal fame.

Ning Er was very popular. As soon as he entered, many people greeted him quietly, calling him "Brother Chengbo." Ning Er responded to each of them with a smile.

Ning Nan glanced around. Mr. Li Zhou wasn't lying; the school was indeed already overflowing.

Ning Er left his original position.

Ning Nan and Chu Feixiong obediently walked to the very last row.

Only one desk remained in this row, with the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) placed on it.

Ning Nan smiled and said, "Brother Chu, please sit down. If it weren't for your help just now, I'm afraid I would have had to go home much earlier." Hmm, I'll stand and listen for now. I'll get a table this afternoon and move it over.

Chu the Fat Man forced a smile through his bitter face and said, "Brother Bai Xuan, please sit down. The teacher said... even though I'm only half a student, I can't take your seats."

The two are still trying to reach a conclusion due to their mutual deference.

Just then, the sound of ping-pong balls clattering came from outside. Ning Nan turned around and looked... Hmm, it was that servant Zhi Bao who brought in a table.

Zhibao was also carrying a cloth bag, and judging from the paper and pen nib that were sticking out, it should be the Four Treasures of the Study.

The table that the other party brought over was somewhat worn and looked quite old. It was probably an old item that Mr. Lizhou had instructed them to bring out from the storeroom.

Zhibao said loudly, annoyed, "Which of you is the extra one? Come help carry this!"

Chu the Fatty immediately rushed over with a beaming smile, "Hehehe, thanks a lot, Brother Zhibao!"

Seeing that Chu Feixiong's desk was next to his, Ning Nan breathed a sigh of relief and sat down at his own desk.

Not long after.

The slender and handsome old man then entered the school.

After the teacher entered, the classroom fell silent.

Old Huang is indeed quite capable... Ning Nan nodded silently after listening to the lecture all morning.

In the morning, the old man didn't explain how to write an eight-legged essay, but rather why it was necessary to write one.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down," the old man repeated the phrase several times. "Throughout history, the world has always gradually moved from great order to great chaos, and then back to great order..."

"Dongzi of the Han Dynasty exclusively promoted Confucianism; Han Ziwen of the Tang Dynasty revived the school after eight generations of decline; Cheng Yi of the Northern Zhao Dynasty founded Neo-Confucianism; Zhu Xi of the Southern Zhao Dynasty invoked the principles of Heaven and extinguished human desires..."

"Throughout the millennia of the Han Dynasty, scholars have always been on the path to becoming sages... The closer they went to that path, the more stable the world became..."

"During the Han Dynasty, after the Lü Clan Rebellion and the Rebellion of the Seven States, Emperor Wu of Han promoted Confucianism as the sole state ideology and issued the Edict of Grace, rebellions by princes and nobles almost disappeared..."

"By the end of the Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was short-lived, and powerful families such as Cao Wei, Sun Wu, and Sima Jin became the main forces seizing power..."

"The world was in turmoil for four hundred years. Then came the Sui and Tang dynasties, the imperial examination system was established, and the words of the sages finally became a path to advancement, and the world was once again at peace..."

The last row of the school.

Ning Nan sat upright and listened to the lesson quietly.

The fat guy next to him started to lose focus, taking advantage of the teacher in front of him nodding and swaying his head as he spoke with great enthusiasm and emotion.

He crept closer, frowned at Ning Nan, and asked, "Brother Ning, what is the Sui and Tang dynasties?"